Long lifespan (80,000+ hr design life, and units are now running 13 years continuously at NASA labs)

Reduce venting, flaring

No grid power contract or install wait, can be moved.

lower cost/Watt (2-10x less vs. TEGs)

Hail and theft/vandalism resistant and more reliable vs. solar

Scalable (plug and play)

Meaningful power = meaningful solutions (5- 7.5 HP/PowerGen)

Well-suited to 4+ well pads or truck-out/LACT unit power

The generator package works seamlessly with a variety of fuel supplies, including natural gas, propane, ethane, biogas, and multiple associated gas streams. An available 5,650 Watts means you still have power left over to allow for AC heat trace in colder climates with an additional controllable glycol system heat supply of 48,000-60,00 BTU/hr.
PowerGen supplies flexible power and BTU's.

Applications:

flow control

metering

monitoring

lighting

site cathodic protection and pipeline ICCP

pneumatic instruments (60-90 low bleed instruments)

actuators

pumps (10 gpm for 1,000-3,000' or 2-5 gpm for 5,000' well)

compression power for flowline pressure reduction

analytics

heat tracing/ Ruffneck heaters/water tank heating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2gBf9VqwKE

PowerGen Series Stirling engine gensets:
Designed for rugged and remote operation, the PowerGen remote power generator provides reliable electrical power supply to the most demanding and mission-critical loads. With only 1 hour annual maintenance and highly reliable PCK series Stirling engines, the generator package can work seamlessly with a variety of fuel supplies, including natural gas, propane, ethane, biogas, and multiple associated gas streams.

FAQ's

A: A 1200 Watt Powergen consumes approximately 1/3 the amount (fewer than 27 liters) of propane than a 500 Watt TEG, which uses about 76 liters (20 Gal/day). This is a great advantage to installations reliant on propane supply such as telecommunications and signals. One additional feature is the recoverable heat on the glycol systems, which can be used to keep enclosures with electronics and batteries in a more efficient temperature range. We provide between 2.5 and 3.5x equivalent energy in heat, so 3000-4200 Watts of heat is available to your installation as well if you want. Less frequent propane delivery and reduced spare battery capacity will provide accelerated project economics but also decrease the environmental impact of your install. Who said it had to be a choice?

Q: Why choose a PowerGen?

A: Traditional power supplies like solar, internal combustion, chemical and TEGs can’t guarantee reliable supply/are battery dependent; can produce harmful emissions; require custom fuels; and don’t allow the further benefit of waste heat availability for glycol heat tracing. PowerGen’s emissions are incinerator-like due to a controlled air-assisted external combustion system. Best of all, the capability to use any gaseous fuel available at the wellhead (including up to 1,000 ppm H2S) ensures supply while reducing the carbon footprint as it eliminates the need to truck in custom fuels.

Q: Are you worried about fuel availability?

A: There’s no need to be when virtually every gas and oil well in Canada makes enough gas or associated gas with a BTU content we can use to run the PowerGen. Best of all, depending on BTU’s/Cu.Ft, we only require between about 1,500 -4,000 Cu.Ft/ day to provide up to 5,650 Watts of power. There is no need to guess how long your fuel lasts if it’s available any time, right there at the wellhead or from a Propane pig or bullet. Full autonomy is yours no matter what the conditions, and remember that the colder it gets the more efficient a heat difference engine like the PowerGen’s becomes.

Q: Where do I use the PowerGen?

A: PowerGen is designed to make your existing renewables reliable, or to replace diesel generators, Solar, ThermoElectric Generators (TEGs) and fuel cells. Use it anywhere you need power and heat, close to the grid or far away from it. At service needs of 1-2 hrs/year, the PowerGen can be maintained and kept running anywhere power is critical to operations and communications.

Q: Can PowerGen be monitored?

A: PowerGens are connected to the factory to relay its own operating parameters only. However it’s also fitted with Modbus capabilities for SCADA connectivity to your existing system. We provide free cellular monitoring for the first year and give you the option for subsequent years. Qnergy, PowerGen’s parent company is well-versed in remote operations as is evident from its involvement with a number of NASA’s Mars missions.

Q: What do PowerGens cost?

A: Know that PowerGens have the lowest cost/Watt of any competing remote power system out there. Additional packages for lower temperature, additional heat recovery and extra low temperature operations allow you to pick the system best suited for your site, with straight-forward pricing for all options.

Q: Will OilPro integrate the PowerGen with my site-specific needs?

A: OilPro specializes in coordinating Engineering, Project Management and Construction of skid packages which can include everything from rectifiers to instrument air to battery charging, straight site power, sweetening systems, gas compression, chemical pumps and heat distribution for tanks or flowlines etc. to integration with on-site fuel supply and MCC buildings and other production equipment. A general area classification provides lots of leeway in terms of site placement. OilPro takes a brand-agnostic approach to whatever requires power at your site. We will integrate PowerGen with any Qnergy vetted inverter, charger, compressor, pump, motor or electrical system you require. Once a Site Survey is done, we can coordinate with your preferred integrator or be your one-stop general contracto, whichever suits your business model best.

Q: Can PowerGen be trailered, boxed, or otherwise housed?

A: A suitable trailer can support the roughly 1,200 lb PowerGen nicely to provide steadfast off-grid power for mobile applications from site monitoring, lights, data gathering and general communications. However mounting on concrete, piles or rig mats is also easily accomplished, as is integration on a more elaborate skid. As PowerGen’s cabinet is designed to be placed outside already there is no need to enclose it again. The -20 versions can be partially enclosed if desired, leaving the radiator portion outside the building while contributing to heat inside the building if desired. The -40C version of the PowerGen can provide 1200 to 5650 Watts continuously for at least its design life of 80,000 hrs with some test units now outlasting their own monitoring equipment with continuous runs of approximately 13 years at the time of this writing!

Q: What happens internally if the air intake was to suck in an air/gas mixture?

A: Powergen is tuned to operate lean- access fuel of around 3.5-4% O2. Adding fuel into the intake air will in turn reduce the oxygen content, causing a rise in the flame temperature until it becomes too rich, causing incomplete combustion and high levels of carbon monoxide. The Powergen monitors its engine head temperature and will lower the burner rate when the head over-heats. Therefore there is no risk to the hardware. In all cases the flame remains inside the combustion chamber and is not capable of traveling upstream beyond the quenching plate (perforated plate behind the burner deck). Burner chamber volume is sized so that the flame cannot exit and travel down the sealed exhaust ducting, therefore no exposed flame.
Supporting illustration:

Q: Can this generator as a whole ignite external flammable gases?

In other words, should you treat the PowerGen as open flame equipment, which impact its location on the site due to spacing requirements of this type of equipment?
Answer:
The Qnergy PowerGen 5650 has an enclosed combustion chamber that is fully encapsulated within heat exchangers in such a way that there is no exposed heated surface hot enough that could cause pre-ignition to external air-borne flammable natural gas.
In terms of ingress of external air-borne gas via the exhaust system into the combustion chamber, we have a positive pressure combustion chamber which, when the unit is operating, prevents any ‘unintended’ flammable gas access to the combustion chamber.
To help you with locating the PowerGen on your site, we have further clarification from Alberta's Energy Regulator: "Given how the Sterling engine operates, with an enclosed combustion chamber and no possible way for a flame front to exit the unit if an air/gas mixture is drawn in, I conclude that it operates more like an internal combustion engine rather than flame type equipment." (June 25, 2018)

Q: The PowerGen is capable of burning sour fuel gas with up to 1,000 ppm H2S; Will we be required to do dispersion modelling?

Answer:
Section 7.12(1) of (Alberta Energy Regulator) AER Directive 060 requires dispersion modelling if the H2S content is greater than or equal to 10 mol/kmol (your 1000 ppm would be 1 mol/kmol) or one tonne per day. PowerGen doesn’t trigger either of these, so dispersion modelling would not be required by Directive 060.
Note that our free-standing height is only 54 inches, so it would be possible for the emissions to be very undispersed if someone was standing nearby. OilPro recommends consideration is given to determine whether the operator might want some sort of setback distance so that a person couldn’t stand too close to the exhaust.
The heat of the exhaust will provide some lift and may act like an effective stack height, taking the plume up into the air, to then disperse more as it travels downwind. The Air Quality Objective for SO2 is 172 ppb, so the dispersion would need to be taken from the original concentration of about 1,000,000 ppb (1,000 ppm) resulting from the original 1,000 ppm of H2S, down to 172 ppb. Dispersion is quite effective, so this is probably not difficult to achieve (comparatively much larger sources still dilute to levels below 172 ppb), but if required it is recommended to model the scenario to be sure of each case.
Bottom line: no, AER requirements do not require a model of the gas stream of this low H2S concentration and rate.

Q: What makes the Free Piston Sterling Engine (FPSE) last so long without maintenance?

Answer: For the in-depth version, visit https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/space-centers/glenn-research-center/it-keeps-going-and-going-stirling-engine-test-sets-long-duration-record-at-nasa-glenn/, which explains NASA’s experiment with the FPSE which has been running continuously since 2003. Only maintenance of monitoring instruments and component inspections have interrupted the continuous duty of this engine.
In brief: The FPSE is designed to have no contact between moving parts. There are no contacting bearings or seals which eliminates wear items. Secondly the hot-end metallurgy, weld procedures and assembly methods were carefully chosen for their durability. Any engineer will tell you that the best designs are usually the simplest. The FPSE is no exception. The engine contains helium gas, which is heated at one end, and as the helium expands it forces a piston away from the hot end and into an oscillating cycle. Indirect action between this piston induces movement of a secondary piston which incorporates a linear alternator that generates electrical output. There is no rotary motion, no crank, just back and forth movement, enabled by internal springs called flexure plates, which resemble the small discs found in 45 RPM vinyl records. The flexure plates are designed around a material fatigue life beyond that of the required operating life of the engine. The engine design life is in the order of 10-20 years to match NASA’s mission durations in the 17-year range, but speculations indicate these engines can last beyond 20 years. We’ll only know for sure in 2023.

Q: Why should we consider the PowerGen a clean technology when it burns hydrocarbons?

A: This comes down to what Ory Zik, CEO of Qnergy calls “Carbon Literacy”, which involves taking into account a system’s overall lifetime carbon footprint https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r77z4zsTT64 . There are four reasons the PowerGen should be considered to have a lower carbon footprint versus alternate remote site critical power generation systems.
First is the lifetime carbon footprint. We must take into account the total lifetime carbon footprint of an engine. The FPSE was declared by NASA to be “the most reliable generation technology in history”. The FPSE requires minimal scheduled maintenance and component replacement/service. No oil changes and fewer visits to PowerGen sites mean less carbon-intensive maintenance. This is why the PowerGen compares favourably versus internal combustion engines but als compared to fuel cells, both of which require replacement of major components at regular intervals.
Second is the efficiency, either stand-alone but also in a CoGen application. Consider the PowerGen’s ability to control combustion at a near-perfect stoichiometric ratio, once installed, regardless of the fuel gas quality used. This means there is an extremely efficient conversion of the energy in the gas being burned to electricity and heat. This is achieved with the use of an air-assisted on-board system-powered blower which is adjusted to match the burner’s need for air with the BTU’s available in the fuel gas. In colder climates Co-generation plays a role. In applications where a continuously maintained process temperature is important, the PowerGen provides additional carbon footprint reductions by using its own waste heat to circulate hot glycol on site. This raises the PowerGen’s overall efficiency from the roughly 20-30%+ range into the 70-80% range. Converting energy on site using gas available on-site fuel is extremely efficient. When you consider that fuels such as gasoline, diesel or processed gas can ultimately result in an overall energy conversion rate in the 10-20% range at the driven wheel of an automobile after all the losses throughout the processing and distribution networks, decentralized power generation makes a lot of sense. Similar losses apply to centrally generated and distributed electricity networks, regardless of the means used to generate power, due to line losses in distribution.
Third is the reduced reliance on backup battery storage. The Powergen, due to its significant power output compared to conventional remote power sources like ThermoElectric Generators (which, like the FPSE are a very reliable form of heat engine, but only due to their relatively short conductive path, end up converting only 6% of that heat into electricity) and fuel cells (Which can be both fuel dependent and have a limited, expensive, key component lifespan), means fewer backup batteries are required because the PowerGen can help recover drained onsite energy storage more quickly. As the charge rate is much higher, lower reserves are required. Solar and wind power require even more battery backup due to their intermittent and seasonally variable nature. We all know that our car batteries eventually die, with a typical lifespan of 2-5 years. Reducing the amount of required backup power causes a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of the overall system PowerGen is part of. PowerGen customers are also using the Glycol Heat Trace (GHT) option to keep batteries within their most efficient temperature range, further extending battery life and reducing the need for additional backup in low temperature operations.
Fourth is that the PowerGen shines at times when everything else on a site starts to fail. The PowerGen becomes more efficient the colder the ambient temperatures are, which happens to coincide with PowerGen customer’s greatest reliance on continued operation of their facilities. During the prolonged cold spell of the 2019 Polar Vortex which saw temperatures dip into the -30C bracket, OilPro’s PowerGen customers reported how pleased they are that many cold-related site visits related to freeze-up problems were eliminated due to the system’s increased reliability. Fewer emergency shut-downs mean fewer unscheduled site visits, which means fewer hydrocarbons burned calling in men, trucks, steaming equipment for unscheduled visits.

Background

About Sterling Engine Technology:

The original kinematic Stirling machine, developed over 200 years ago by Rev. Robert Stirling, did not attain significant technical or commercial success until the latter half of the 20th century. An increased focus on this technology over the last 50 years has led to significant recent breakthroughs in terms of operating concepts and supporting technologies. The principal “Stirling advantage” is that it is a closed-cycle external combustion engine, meaning the heat source is outside the engine and the inside of the engine can be sealed. Stirling engines also make use of a regenerative heat exchanger that allows them to re-use their heat. This regeneration feature is what makes the Stirling cycle efficient, in addition to allowing it at the same time to be powered by virtually any heat source (e.g., oil, gas, solar, wood, coal, nuclear, and other combustible material)

Certifications:

ISO 9001 Certification (May 2018)

PG-1.2/5.65KW-24DC-120/240AC-GAS

PowerGen by Qnergy delivers more power than TEGs or fuel cells, priced much lower.What will you with the extra Watts and heat available?

Options:Available to supplement unused electrical power by 2 or 4 kW with an immersion heater to bring Lineheater to 19.6 (66.9 BTU/hr) or 21.6kW (73.7 BTU/hr) total capacity.

The 4kW option leaves a maximum additional PowerGen electrical capacity of 1,650 Watts for use on site using the 5650 PowerGenThis increases the shell size to 16" diameter and adds a 3" 150 RF Immersion heater connection.Cost increase for shell size increase $1,200.-Not included:Skid extension to support lineheater, as this is typically custom per client site and skid layout preference[…]

Options:Available to supplement unused electrical power by 2 or 4 kW with an immersion heater to bring Lineheater to 19.6 (66.9 BTU/hr) or 21.6kW (73.7 BTU/hr) total capacity.

The 4kW option leaves a maximum additional PowerGen electrical capacity of 1,650 Watts for use on site using the 5650 PowerGenThis increases the shell size to 16" diameter and adds a 3" 150 RF Immersion heater connection.Cost increase for shell size increase $1,200.-Not included:Skid extension to support lineheater, as this is typically custom per client site and skid layout preference

POWERGEN-TAMPER PROOF LATCH

Compression LatchOversized to match Heavy Duty PowerGen enclosure.Specifically designed to match seal compression for tight factory-fit seal.OilPro recommends a minimum of 6 latches pererGen if customer prefers keyed-alike setup:- 2 per side door bottom- 2 per control panel closure(Notes: 1. Control panel is also lockable with a separate padlock, which can eliminate 2 compression latches from this count, but will require tracking a separate key for the customer's padlock.2. Tamper-proof industrial-strength triangular 7 mm keys to operate the compression latches are sold separately.[…]

Compression LatchOversized to match Heavy Duty PowerGen enclosure.Specifically designed to match seal compression for tight factory-fit seal.OilPro recommends a minimum of 6 latches per PowerGen if customer prefers keyed-alike setup:- 2 per side door bottom- 2 per control panel closure(Notes: 1. Control panel is also lockable with a separate padlock, which can eliminate 2 compression latches from this count, but will require tracking a separate key for the customer's padlock.2. Tamper-proof industrial-strength triangular 7mm keys to operate the compression latches are sold separately.

POWERGEN-TAMPER PROOF LATCH-KEY

Compression Latch-keyTamper-proof industrial-strength triangular 7 mm key to operate the compression latchSpecifically designed to handle torque required for compression for tight factory-fiteal.OilPro recommends a minimum of 2 keys per PowerGen.Note:1. Control panel is also lockable with a separate padlock, but side panels are not.[…]

Compression Latch-keyTamper-proof industrial-strength triangular 7 mm key to operate the compression latchSpecifically designed to handle torque required for compression for tight factory-fit seal.OilPro recommends a minimum of 2 keys per PowerGen.Note:1. Control panel is also lockable with a separate padlock, but side panels are not.